Green Whelp
Green whelps are a variety of green faux dragon commonly found in forested regions. Habitat Green Whelps are among the smaller of the five varieties of Faux Dragon, only larger than the Black Whelp, the Greens prefer to live in the tree-top canopies of the forest. Green Whelps are very communal and their troops operate almost like a pack of wolves in that they hunt and raise their young together. Though they will occupy seperate nesting sites, their troop will often nest in the same small area for mutual support and defense. Coloration Greens come in a wide variety of shades but there are some easy ways to tell the age and sex of a whelpling. The coloration of a whelpling is always more vibrant the younger they are. As they age and mature the color will lessen and dull until it becomes a darker shade towards their remaining years. An easy way to tell the sex of a whelpling is to look at their head sail and tail. Each whelpling will have different coloration in these two areas but one thing is certain, males have only two colors present where as a female will have three. A green male, for example, will have yellow accents to his head sail and tail. A green female, however, will have yellow and white accents. Behavior A Green Whelpling is a very skilled mimic. They have the potential to master a dozen words and fully understand their meaning. Additionally the Green Whelp is a consumate thief. Any shiney or reflective object from a silver spoon to jewelry is ripe for the plucking. These bits of shiney metal are often saught to decorate their nest. It is a common tactic for male whelps to gather shiney bits to decorate their nest in the hopes of attracting the attention of a female. Breeding Green Whelps tend to mate in early summer and clutch by midsummer. Domestication When the faith of Gizad spread to the Kels and the marches, the Gnomes who helped establish the first Priories carried with them the tradition of catching, taming and training blue whelplings to serve as messengers. When the faith of Gizad moved into the Marches and the priories were built too far away from the large bodies of water that the blues like to clutch they adapted their practice and also began to raise greens for short-ranged trips. The process takes patience and not everyone is suited to be a whelpling handler. Many priory students are assigned the task of aiding in their feeding or cleaning their roosts as forms of punishment though a few humans have discovered that the whelplings do make interesting pets. Trade Whelplings that are under eight-weeks of age can be captured in the wild and be sold as pets to those who wish to try and tame one as a pet. Sometimes they can be sold to Priories for the Whelpling master to carefor or, depending on the Household, sold to a Keep. Some stewards favor Green Whelplings as a means to control rodent populations in their grain stores. Typically a male whelpling, in good health, could be sold for a silver mark. A female will typically fetch double that. A whelpling egg is almost worthless to be sold for few have the knowledge of how to finish its incubation and raise it from the shell. This would almost certainly be a Whelpling Master or one who has studied with one at a Priory of Gizad. Personality A Green Whelp's domesticated personality is almost cat-like in its behavior. They are cunning, mischievous and playful. They seek companionship with others but will never, publicly, acknowledge such a need. Green's are known to perch upon a master's shoulder, crawl up their leg to get to something interesting, ferret into their pockets or riffle through bags in search of foods or, for their most favorite item; something metalic and shiny. Though males tend to have the need to collect shiny objects (as part of their nesting behavior) females are not above claiming something like a silvery necklace or button either. One of the more favorite games with masters of Green Whelps is to reflect a bit of sunlight on the ground and watch the green whelps chase it. It's a "shiny that moves" and nearly any male of breeding age will have to chase it until they can claim it as their own. Named Green Whelps Character/Green Whelp Category:Faux Dragon Category:Fauna/Marches Category:Fauna/Great Green Sea Category:Fauna/Forest Category:Creature/Small Category:Item/20 sm Category:Fauna/Eastern Canopy